


Respectable Diplomacy Is Overrated

by orphan_account



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Baron Inaho, M/M, Medieval Kingdom AU, Servant Slaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2550974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the nobility of the Mars kingdom visits Earth, Lord Inaho notices immediately how a certain servant deals with constant abuse, and his plan begins to take form.  What he does not realize is that another plan is forming around him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alone Together

Lord Inaho noticed the servant as soon as he stepped foot inside the castle. He faded into the background when he lingered in the wake of Princess Asseylum and her escort of knights, but Inaho tended to catch details others often missed. One such being the way his adoring gaze never left the princess.

Another being the constant torture the servant bore.

Of course, Inaho did not see this particular detail until later in the night.

The Mars Kingdom visited that of Earth in hopes of a peace treaty between their kingdoms. They shared a border, and their values paralleled for the most part, so the negotiations seemed obvious. Nevertheless, a certain tension specific to politics hung in the atmosphere as the nobility of the two races mixed.

Inaho had instructions to acquaint himself with Asseylum and further mingle with the knights, but socializing never came naturally to him. He normally left that to his sister and Inko, and he focused on economics and battle strategies. Subjects with clear problems to solve and no hidden motives.

"Greetings, my lord," one of the Mars knights said, smiling far too brightly for a stranger.

"Hello," Inaho replied.

"I am Knight Saazbaum. It is an honor to meet you," he cooed.

"The honor is mine," Inaho deadpanned, the words borrowed from his sister's lessons on propriety.

"Queen Darzana knows how to throw a party," Saazbaum continued. "She is a wise leader."

"Yes, she makes good choices for the better of her citizens," Inaho agreed. "If you'll excuse me." Inaho did not wait for a response before he slid away from the Martian knight and faded into the crowd. Though his responsibility as Terran nobility demanded his amiability, the altogether creepy vibes that surrounded many of the knights became too much for him.

Despite their spoken intentions for peace, Inaho somewhat doubted their motivations. Only Princess Asseylum seemed to fully support the Terran queen's negotiations, and Inaho feared that situation. Just how deep did the knights' loyalty run for the princess?

Inaho mulled over his thoughts until a quite physical jolt jarred him back into reality.

"S-s-sorry! I'm so sorry. M-my apologies, m-my l-lord!"

"You pathetic fool!"

Inaho blinked slowly until the scene before him shifted into focus. The Martian servant he glimpsed when the Mars nobility first arrived grasped a shaky tray of toppled goblets, and red wine splattered Inaho's dress clothes. While the stained uniform barely registered on Inaho's radar, the blond Martian knight that bore down on the servant screamed danger.

Just as Inaho predicted, the knight swung his thick cane into the servant's stomach, and the boy curled into himself with pain. He desperately tried to keep the tray upright as he flinched though the effort hardly meant anything now.

"I apologize deeply, my lord, for the trouble this idiot has caused you," the knight addressed Inaho.

Inaho responded, "Only those from Earth are supposed to be serving tonight. We are hosting you."

"Yes," the knight admitted. "But Slaine here is a special case. His only purpose is to serve, so when he requested to come to Earth with the princess, his condition was this. He obeys the orders of Martians alone though, so we don't trespass on your terms."

Inaho glanced at the servant, Slaine, and his perceptive eyes caught the fear sending tremors through his thin body. "I see. Be that as it may, might I request that this servant accompany me to change my tunic?"

The inquiry obviously caught the knight by surprise, and while he struggled to find a reason to say no, an excuse did not present itself. Inaho counted on this, so he waited patiently for the knight to relent. "Of course, my lord. This is the least I can offer after the mess he has made."

"Thank you, Sir Knight," Inaho replied before turning to exit the party. A slight flick of his hand summoned the servant to follow him.

Inaho navigated his way out of the party with minimum contact with other people, and he didn't have to look back to know that the blond servant stayed just a few steps behind him. Inaho guessed more abuse waited for him if he had stayed behind with the knight, so stranger or not, Inaho was the better option. Besides, he did not have the social status to disobey his request.

They left the ball room behind them, and Inaho brought them up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of a large oak door. The servant shifted his weight between his right and left foot nervously as Inaho unlocked the door and entered the bedroom.

"You don't have to be so frightened. I'm not going to hurt you, so please come inside," Inaho said.

Once Slaine stepped into the room, Inaho shut the door behind him, and the servant jumped. His green eyes flitted to the four walls, the expansive bed, the dresser, and the desk, and his hands shook. Though his height trumped Inaho's by an inch or two, he seemed very small in the fine room of a noble.

"I really only wanted a new tunic, and I thought you might want a chance of reprieve from that man. If you don't calm down, you'll have a panic attack," Inaho warned.

"Th-thank you," Slaine muttered, almost too quiet to catch.

"There's no need," Inaho dismissed. He strolled to his dresser and riffled through the drawers in search of something suitable. "Though you could not use this as a defense against the knight, I'm almost certain the collision was more my fault than yours. I was distracted."

When Inaho turned to face him a with a black dress tunic in hand, Slaine only blushed and avoided eye contact which the lord took as an affirmative. "I thought so. Now please come help me with this."

Slaine's head shot up, and his eyes locked onto Inaho. "E-excuse me?" he squeaked.

"I did ask that you assist me in replacing this tunic," Inaho reminded him. For a moment he thought Slaine might refuse on the basis that he need not take orders from Terran nobility, but the servant shuffled to Inaho's side and gently unbuttoned his uniform with trembling hands.

Inaho’s expression gave away nothing, but surprise piqued his interest. The servant efficiently pulled Inaho’s stained tunic away and took the new one from his hands. Gentle prods urged Inaho’s arms in the right positions to put on the clean tunic, and in a matter of seconds, Slate buttoned every golden clasp.

As he finished with the final button at his throat, Inaho caught Slaine’s hand, and the servant stared up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

“Why are you abused so?” Inaho demanded.

“I’m not-”

“Don’t bother denying it,” Inaho chided. “I can tell the knights’ treatment of you is not fair, yet you volunteered to come here. Why?”

Rosy red colored his cheeks as Slaine averted his eyes to reply, “The princess. I grew up with her, and I want to protect her. I am, by birth, a Terran from the Earth Kingdom, and I thought I could help her on her peace mission.”

Inaho rarely felt surprise, for most people claimed few secrets Inaho could not guess, but this boy seemed to be an enigma of mystery. “A Terran? You come from my kingdom?”

“I suppose,” Slaine admitted. “My father is a doctor, and he travelled to Mars when very few knew medicine there. When he died on Mars soil, the Martian nobility had little choice but to take me in as a servant.”

“That gives them no right to abuse you. Why don’t you return to Earth where you belong?” Inaho inquired.

Slaine’s expression showed surprising determination, and he pulled his arm away from Inaho’s grip and took a step back. “I would never leave the princess,” he said.

“Hmm, I see,” Inaho mused. He allowed a few seconds to pass before walking toward the door. Slaine’s eyes followed him warily, but he did not move until Inaho called, “Come, we must return to the party. I have a new tunic, and I’m sure your princess must wonder where you went.”

The young lord and the servant wandered back to the ball room though neither particularly wanted to revisit such torture. While Inaho merely hated social interaction, he guessed Slaine feared more abuse from his masters which sat uncomfortably in Inaho’s stomach.

The boy’s entire story bothered him. He heard of Terran doctors going to Mars when the plague swept the more primitive kingdom, but he thought they all returned once the crisis passed. Even if this doctor died during his duty, his son should have been returned to his home country. Perhaps Slaine chose to stay out of whatever loyalty he held toward the princess, but surely there was a solution that resulted in both the boy’s relief from abuse and his friendship with Asseylum.

“Why do you care for the princess so much?” Inaho asked.

Slaine jumped, but when he regarded the lord warily, Inaho pretended not to notice. Finally, Slaine answered with the familiar guard around his expression and tone. “She saved my life.”

“I see.”

So the bond ran deep. In that case Inaho doubted Slaine would appreciate his gesture if he sent a legal request to the queen for Slaine’s Terran citizenship to be brought to light. If he played his cards right, he thought he could take Slaine away from the Martian knights legally, but Slaine’s attachment to the princess made that difficult.

Unless…

Inaho thought of Asseylum’s genuine excitement to visit the Earth kingdom and the overall suspicious aura that surrounded the knights. The more Inaho mulled over these facts, the more a solution presented itself. The detail that the king of the Martian kingdom, Asseylum’s grandfather, still resided in the Martian castle only contributed to his tentative plan.

Suddenly, returning to the ball of hidden diplomacy did not seem quite so bad, for Inaho had a plan. He would socialize tonight, and he would present his proposal to Queen Darzana tomorrow.

Let Princess Asseylum stay in the Terran kingdom as an ambassador for Mars while her grandfather ruled from his own kingdom. While the knights would return to Mars to protect their own kingdom and leader, the servant Slaine would be the only protection and assistance Asseylum would need in Earth.

Inaho looked the plan over from every angle, and he knew exactly how he would present the proposal to court. He glanced over at Slaine with satisfaction.

The servant may tremble with anticipation now, but he would soon walk these halls with confidence and belonging. Inaho would make sure of it.


	2. Complication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Inaho's efforts are not entirely appreciated.

Queen Darzana regarded Lord Inaho with suspicion after she looked over the file that outlined his plan. She folded her dainty hands together, but Inaho offered no response besides shifting his weight in his chair across from her desk.

“This is very detailed, I will give you that. I also cannot deny that a Martian ambassador would do us some good, and Princess Asseylum would be perfect for the job. You even wrote the proposal in a way that gives the knights little choice but to return home to protect their king while we give the princess our own legal immunity,” she said.

Inaho nodded. He wrote the file, so he knew exactly what it entailed.

The queen narrowed her eyes. “Why?” she said.

“The negotiations between Earth and Mars require some sort of resolution, and the one I have provided should be both beneficial and unlikely to lead to war,” Inaho answered.

“That is not what I meant,” Queen Darzana dismissed. “I meant, why did you draw up this plan? You have been in my court for many years now, and you avoid active diplomacy at all costs. Now is a strange time to convert your ways.”

Inaho suspected such an inquiry, for the Terran leader was not as easy to fool as most humans. Inaho supposed this quality was beneficial as she was the queen, but it provided nothing but an annoyance in this instance. “Times are changing,” he replied simply.

Each noble carried a cold stare, and when they turned them against each other, the match could last indefinitely. Luckily, the queen could not afford to waste such time.

“Fine,” she said. “But know that your ulterior motivations will come to light eventually.”

Inaho only bowed politely before leaving the room, revealing nothing.

…

The next day, Queen Darzana announced her proposal to the nobility of both Earth and Mars. Princess Asseylum immediately jumped at the chance to be a Martian ambassador in Earth just as Inaho thought she would. Further aligning to his plan, the knights told the princess that they regrettably must return to Mars to perform their duties there. Asseylum agreed without qualm, but then the first hitch made itself known.

Sir Cruhteo, the knight with the cane who bore down on Slaine the moment he made a mistake, volunteered to stay behind with Asseylum, so she at least had one Martian protector. Queen Darzana agreed to this, and Inaho forced himself to remain rational in the face of this small surprise. At the very least, there was one thing that did not present a problem. Apparently, everyone assumed Slaine would accompany the princess no matter what, so the servant boy did not even register on the nobility’s radar.

Lord Inaho considered his plan an overall success. He just needed to make sure Cruhteo never had a chance to abuse Slaine as he did in Mars. Surely, the knight would restrain himself in a different kingdom, but then again, he had not on the night of the ball.

The gathering dispersed, and the Martian knights scattered to pack up their things to return to their homeland in the following days. Princess Asseylum met with Queen Darzana to discuss her new duties, and Cruhteo accompanied the princess to understand his own role in all this.

As Inaho’s sharp eyes followed the movements of everyone, he had an idea about what would soon follow, so he detached himself from the chaos of diplomacy and started walking down an empty hallway toward his own room. He was not surprised at all when quick, nervous footsteps soon caught up with his own.

“You… Y-you’re behind this, aren’t you?”

Despite the fact that Slaine chased after Inaho, he still blushed and stuttered over his words as if Inaho cornered him. The young lord kept an even walking pace and acted as if he and Slaine always walked these halls together despite their vast differences in social status.

“I am a Terran lord, so it is my duty to assist the queen in diplomacy with other kingdoms,” Inaho replied.

Slaine gave a small huff of breath before persevering, “Yes, but the princess staying… right after you asked me why I don’t return to Earth… and after I told you that I won’t leave the princess.”

“Do you imply that I would alter important negotiations between the Terran and Martian kingdoms just to ensure that you would stay in the castle?” Inaho asked.

Now Slaine’s entire face flushed bright red, and the energy that pushed him to follow Inaho apparently burned out. He stopped in the middle of the hall and hung his head. Inaho took a few more steps before he halted as well and turned around to face the humiliated servant.

“Are you pleased with how the negotiations have worked out?” Inaho inquired.

Slaine lifted his head a half inch short of meeting Inaho’s eyes and mumbled, “I am happy as long as Princess Asseylum is safe and that I can be with her.”

Inaho grew tired of Slaine’s repetitive devotion a few minutes after their first meeting, but he supposed another person might find his loyalty admirable. “I see, but do you not feel some relief to be away from the knights who abused you?”

Now some of his blush faded away, and Slaine’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Inaho guessed his questions gave away too much in regard to his involvement with the present situation, but he wasn’t trying to hide it in the first place. Let Slaine know that he arranged the entire thing.

“Sir Cruhteo remains,” Slaine pointed out.

“Yes,” Inaho admitted. “But surely, you can avoid one person versus twenty.”

“Even if I am persecuted as a Terran in Mars, I will be looked down upon as a servant here,” Slaine persisted.

Inaho regarded Slaine calmly with the same analytic mind he used to calculate any situation. He knew the serfs suffered in a way that a noble such as him could not understand, but surely he offered Slaine a better life. Shouldn’t the servant be thanking him if he truly realized that this was Inaho’s doing? He never expected open gratitude, but he felt a little disgruntled to have his entire gesture dismissed with indifference.

“I must return to Princess Asseylum,” Slaine said.

He started to turn away, but Inaho caught his arm. The servant boy’s eyes widened with initial fear, and he only forced a neutral expression when he realized Inaho’s other hand did not move to strike him.

Though Inaho questioned his motivations moments ago, he now remembered why he went to all this trouble in the first place. No person, especially not a boy his own age, should live day to day in such utter fear.

“Your life will be different here in Earth,” he promised him.

Slaine regarded him suspiciously, but he did not pull away. Nevertheless, Inaho suspected that came more from the inability to protest against a noble rather than trust. He did nod though, and Inaho considered that progress.

Once he released his hold on the servant’s arm, Slaine walked quickly back to the main court room to rejoin his princess. Inaho turned the other way to continue to his bedroom where perhaps he could rethink just how he would approach this situation.

…

Apparently, now that Inaho showed the slightest interest in diplomacy, Queen Darzana jumped on the opportunity to exploit his skills at every turn. At least she gave that impression, but Inaho suspected his sudden list of duties were actually her version of revenge for not revealing his own motivations.

Either way, Inaho found himself showing Princess Asseylum to her new room since she would need more permanent living quarters under the new circumstances. The pretty girl chattered about the wonders of Earth while they navigated the halls to the eastern wing of the castle. While Inaho made polite conversation with the princess, he felt overly aware of Slaine carrying Asseylum’s luggage the proper few steps behind them.

“We are honored to have you stay with us,” Inaho said, more words that his sister put in his mouth beforehand.

“The pleasure is mine,” Asseylum gushed. “I have dreamed of seeing this country since I was a child. Slaine told me all about the beauties you enjoy here.”

“Slaine?” Inaho questioned. He understood the value of playing dumb in key circumstances.

“Ah, yes, Slaine, my servant,” Asseylum clarified, gesturing to the boy behind her. He currently struggled with the boxes of clothing, but Inaho suspected some of the blush on his cheeks wasn’t due to physical assertion alone. “He is originally from Earth, but he has been my friend ever since he moved to Mars.”

“I see,” Inaho responded neutrally. They reached the appointed rooms at this point, and Inaho pulled out a key from his tunic pocket and opened the door. “I hope everything is to your liking. If you need for anything, call for a servant or me personally.”

Asseylum skipped into the room, her white skirts flowing around her. Her face lit up with the joy of discovering a new place to call her own, and she turned in a circle to take in every detail of the expansive room. Inaho noticed that someone must have recently redecorated the chambers with furniture more suited to a teenaged female.

“Thank you! I shall,” she assured him.

Inaho left the key on the coffee table and made to take his leave. He only hesitated when he noticed Slaine struggling to fit the many boxes in his arms through the narrow doorway. Before he could second guess himself, Inaho picked a couple of packages from the top of the pile, and Slaine managed to transfer the rest safely to the purple couch. Inaho placed the boxes he took with the others.

Slaine’s eyes widened when he realized just how he miraculously accomplished his task, and he bit his lip. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“You’re welcome,” Inaho replied. Before the atmosphere could grow stranger, Inaho left the room. He briskly marched down the hall until he returned to his own room, and he resolved to deny Queen Darzana if she asked him to escort Sir Cruhteo to his new quarters.


	3. Whataya Want from Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Inaho plots and only Slaine sees it... though misinterpretations are inevitable.

Inaho sat through more peace talks than he cared to attend in a lifetime in those next few days. While the knights remained in Earth, Queen Darzana and Princess Asseylum wanted to discuss as many issues as possible in the time period. They debated over trade, taxes, times of war, serf rebellions, and boundaries until both sides found compromises they did not entirely despise.

Slaine remained suspiciously absent during much of this, and Inaho only caught quick glimpses of him in the halls and at meals. Of course, Slaine served the princess and knights among the other Terran servants at these times, so Inaho hardly considered this present. Slaine barely kept his gaze high enough to not trip over others.

Inaho breathed a little easier once the knights finally departed, but the situation did not entirely become easier. Slaine stayed with the princess, and Inaho gathered from subtle questions to others that he waited on her by washing her clothes and preparing meals and performing any menial task she suggested. However, much to Inaho's aggravation, Slaine also did these things for Sir Cruhteo. Inaho went to all this trouble to keep Slaine from that man's cane, but instead, he only brought them together in a more pressured environment.

If Inaho did accomplish anything in these days of purgatory though, he grew closer to Princess Asseylum. Perhaps due to their nearness in age, she apparently seemed more obliging to discussing matters with him, and Inaho often acted as a middle man for the Martian princess and Terran queen. His blunt way of saying things and analytical mind also made him indispensable during the negotiations.

Inaho found the princess to be rather enthusiastic and insightful if not a bit naïve. She offered creative and reasonable ideas though Inaho could tell that this was her first time to visit Earth in person. Since Mars only owned a few measly polluted rivers, she could hardly comprehend the clean lakes and oceans that Earth offered. She requested a visit to one soon, and Queen Darzana planned to oblige her.

However, Inaho learned more than Martian politics during his talks with her. He also discovered that Princess Asseylum's naiveté expanded beyond Terran customs. She had no idea of the abuse her apparent childhood friend endured.

Inaho supposed he couldn't be surprised. If they truly were friends, Asseylum would not turn a blind eye if she knew, and keeping the whole ordeal a secret from his friend ran consistent with what little Inaho observed of the young boy. Inaho wondered if revealing the secrecy to the princess would bring about a positive change, but perhaps Slaine hid it for other reasons. He resolved to ask before he made another move.

Unfortunately, such an opportunity became quite difficult when the servant in question started to avoid him.

Inaho knew he had a good eye for detail, and he deduced almost immediately when Slaine started taking alternate routes to avoid crossing his path. He even completed his chores for the princess before anyone else woke up to avoid being seen. Inaho would never grow angry at such a petty occurrence, but the slightest hint of annoyance did tug at his thoughts.

So three days after the knights returned to Mars, Inaho knocked on the door of Asseylum’s chambers at precisely dawn. Slaine answered the door for him, and he noticeably startled when he recognized Inaho which only confirmed the lord’s suspicions.

Slaine stepped back and bowed, and Inaho entered the bedroom.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Inaho greeted. Slaine hesitantly shut the door behind him, clearly torn between doing his duty and protecting his own interests.

Princess Asseylum emerged from the adjoined powder room in a pink robe. She beamed when she noticed who visited her, and her long blond hair twirled around her as she skipped forward. “Oh, hello, Lord Inaho!” she gushed. “I did not know you would be visiting. I’m afraid I’m a bit underdressed for a meeting.”

Though Inaho wore the usual royal trousers, tunic, and boots ensemble, he waved away her worries. “There’s no need to hold to formalities. I’m here on casual business,” he assured her.

“Then by all means, let’s sit and eat. Slaine just brought my breakfast, and he always makes enough for three people rather than just me. Slaine, could you pour coffee?” Asseylum gestured to the coffee table and sat in a fluffy blue armchair. Slaine pulled up a wine red counterpart for Inaho, and the lord sat across from the princess.

Slaine poured coffee in one of the extra cups and set it in front of Inaho, and he did not miss the way the servant’s hands shook slightly as he did it. Slaine put half of the princess’s breakfast on the plate that previously held the toast and placed it with Inaho’s coffee before backing away and moving toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Asseylum asked in concern. She, too, seemed to notice Slaine’s nervous behavior.

“I thought I would leave to let you and the lord speak,” Slaine muttered with his eyes trained to the ground.

“You don’t have to do that,” Inaho said. “I don’t plan to discuss anything confidential.”

“Yes, Slaine, sit down or something. You always work so hard,” Asseylum chided.

Slaine blushed before shifting away from the door and moving to make the princess’s bed instead. Asseylum sighed and shook her head, but she apparently counted this as good as she could expect. Inaho watched the entire exchange with passive curiosity and catalogued the new information in the back of his mind.

“So what did you want to discuss, Inaho?” Asseylum asked.

Inaho took a sip from his coffee before replying, “You mentioned something a few days ago about wanting to see the ocean, and I was not sure if you knew, but the Tanegashima Ocean borders part of my lands.”

“You did not tell me this,” Asseylum gasped. “Oh, you must tell me everything about such a wonder. No, you must show me!”

“I already received approval from Queen Darzana to take you to my lands on the next warm day, and Lady Orlane arranged a coach for our transportation,” Inaho told her.

Asseylum dropped her mouth open with shock, but once she recovered, she looked as if she would brust with joy. “That would be lovely! Oh, I cannot wait for this moment! May Slaine come as well? He first told me of the clear waters, and I thought he teased me. Now that I can finally see them for myself… I would love for him to be there with me.”

Inaho raised his eyebrows though he counted on this from the start. “I suppose that would be acceptable,” he said. “Though the carriage we will be taking will only hold three people after the supplies.”

“That’s fine. Sir Cruhteo never took interest in the beauties of earth, and he can take my place in meetings while I’m gone,” the princess decided. She nodded firmly with all the seriousness she executed during their negotiation talks.

When Inaho left Asseylum’s room after a bit more small talk, he felt as if his plan could not have gone better. However, while the princess did not seem to suspect the slightest hint of ulterior motives, Slaine watched him leave with suspicion in his eyes.

…

Inaho somewhat expected to meet Slaine soon after that, but Slaine cornered him even earlier than he predicted. That afternoon, Inaho walked back to his chambers when a voice reached out to him from a shady side hall only used by the servants to travel between wings of the castle without being seen.

“What do you want from me?”

Inaho almost never showed surprise, but his eyebrows did raise slightly higher than normal. He slid into the small hallway even though he knew their close proximity would unnerve the other boy. Possibly because. “Want from you?” he repeated. If he remembered past events correctly, he put all the effort into helping him. Never once did Inaho demand something from the blond servant.

“Yes,” Slaine insisted. Just as he expected, Slaine backed up until he hit the wall, and his face still flushed form their closeness. Nevertheless, he bravely continued with his argument. “Because I can’t benefit you. I don’t have money or position. They don’t tell me anything, so I can’t give you inside information. You might as well stop now.”

Something clicked in Inaho’s mind, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. “You think I’m being nice to you because I want something from you?”

Now Slaine’s wariness mingled with confusion and concern on his face. “Well, aren’t you?” he challenged. “There’s no other explanation.”

“Does your princess not show you kindness without something in return?” Inaho asked.

“She’s the princess. She showed me kindness from the moment I entered Mars, and I’ve spent every day of my life since trying to return that favor. I can’t do the same for you,” Slaine said. His green eyes did not waver in his gaze, and Inaho wondered just what act of kindness rendered this sort of loyalty.

“Is this why you have been avoiding me until now?” Inaho asked.

“I don’t understand what you want,” Slaine replied simply.

As Inaho considered this, Slaine glanced nervously on either side of the hall, possibly calculating which way he should run if Inaho should choose to attack him. Not for the first time, Inaho wondered just what he had endured to create this sense of constant panic and paranoia inside him. He supposed repeated abuse from Sir Cruhteo would make anyone suspicious of kind words.

Why did Inaho insist on playing this game when he could see that Slaine wanted no part of it? A reasonable question, Inaho could acknowledge that.

He had no obligation to him. Even if he was a Terran citizen, Inaho never took special measures for his citizens before, and it didn’t technically fall under his line of responsibilities. As a lord of the court, he ruled over his own lands and serfs, and stragglers with no pledge of loyalty should not concern him. He felt sorry for him, sure, but others suffered in his kingdom.

Maybe Inaho pursued this line of action merely because he didn’t quite understand his thinking behind it. Or maybe he liked Slaine because he surprised him.

Either way, Inaho responded, “I want nothing. I thought you would appreciate a little help.”

“So you are helping me. Why? You don’t know me. We only met once, and I spilled wine on you,” Slaine pointed out.

Inaho could not argue his impeccable logic, and he briefly wondered if this was how others felt when they argued with him. The sense of grappling in an argument was foreign to Inaho, and even now, he showed no signs of emotion. He kept a sense of control no matter what the situation.

“Don’t fool yourself. I requested that the princess stay here to further ensure good relationships between Mars and Earth. I invited her to see the ocean because she mentioned a desire to see pure Terran water,” Inaho said.

Inaho expected Slaine to express relief that Inaho did not entirely focus on him, but instead, the servant’s entire demeanor darkened. “You will not exploit the princess for your own means,” he growled.

“You don’t want to make an enemy of me,” Inaho warned.

Slaine knew it. Inaho had land, authority, and education. Slaine had nothing at all save for the dust at the bottom of the social ladder. Inaho could order Slaine to the dungeons at any moment for no logical reason, and they both knew it. Though the lord strived to avoid becoming one more person for Slaine to fear, he found himself quickly going down that path.

Slaine bit his lip and blinked several times rapidly in sequence before disappearing down the servants’ passageway without so much as a final word or gesture.

Inaho thought back over the conversation and tried to find the exact moment where he went wrong.


	4. Sugar, We're Goin Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Inaho takes Asseylum and Slaine out to see the ocean... briefly.

Slaine successfully avoided Inaho for an entire week, but as clever as he proved to be, Inaho outsmarted him when it came to the trip to the ocean. When the next warm day graced Earth, no force in the universe could stop Princess Asseylum from dragging Slaine into the carriage and bouncing excitedly in her seat until Inaho ordered their driver to pull out. Slaine pouted, but Inaho hid a satisfied smirk behind his neutral façade.

“I cannot believe you own your own ocean,” Asseylum exclaimed. She wore a simpler version of her usual noble dress, and the pale pink color complemented her complexion prettily.

“I would not say that. I own a fief, and an ocean happens to border my lands,” Inaho corrected.

Asseylum’s green eyes widened to truly showcase her curiosity. “How many knights guard your fief?” she asked.

“None. We are at peace in the kingdom, so I only keep a few servants to work the fields and watch over the house. I only stay there during the summers,” Inaho said. Though the conversation was typical of that between nobles, Inaho suddenly felt uncomfortable sharing his luxuries with Slaine so near. Especially after he just flaunted his rank over the boy not long ago.

Inaho started asking Asseylum questions about Mars, and she launched into story after story of her kingdom. Inaho heard everything from their crop intake last year to the alleged affair Sir Saazbaum had with a Terran. As quickly as Inaho’s mind numbed, the current chatter was better than more of his gloating over his lands.

Eventually, the carriage pulled to a stop, and Inaho dismounted first and helped Asseylum down the steps. While the princess twirled in place to take in every detail of Inaho’s estate at once, Inaho offered to help Slaine out of the carriage as well. The servant shot him a dark look and climbed down the steps himself. Inaho sighed and gave instructions to the driver to take the carriage to the stables where the boys working there would take care of the horses.

“I have never seen such wonders!” Asseylum gushed, suddenly appearing to take Inaho’s hands in her own.

The young baron did not startle, but he took a step back and noticed Slaine lingering behind the princess as he observed the sights with ill-disguised curiosity. Some satisfaction slipped into his tight mood at this though he could not blame him.

Inaho’s lands contained rolling green hills that eventually faded into white sand and then lapping waves of the ocean. His country house watched over the estate from the top of the tallest hill, and small plots of crops like corn and potatoes dotted the many valleys. Yuki likened their home to a patchwork quilt of farmland and hills, but Inaho thought that cheapened the effect. After all, the shining ocean always within sight was the shining jewel of their inheritance.

“May we please go see the ocean?” Asseylum whined, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Are you sure you do not wish to take a moment in the house? Freshen up?” Inaho suggested. A mere politeness of course. He knew the answer before the princess said it with all the authority of a leader from Mars.

“No.”

Somehow, Inaho found himself carrying Asseylum’s shoes as she pranced across the warm sands. The two boys half-heartedly followed her when there was no way they could ever catch up to her. The princess danced a rhythm only she knew as she weaved from splashing in the waves to feeling the grains of sand with her fingertips.

Slaine watched her with unadulterated affection, and he stayed so distracted by the princess that he did not truly realize he walked alone with Inaho until he cleared his throat and started to talk.

“Has she always been this way?”

Slaine stiffened at being addressed, but once he realized Inaho only wanted to speak of the princess, he relaxed enough to reply, “Yes. The idea of Earth always enchanted her. I told her stories, and her eyes lit up like the stars.”

“I’m sure her advisers did not approve,” Inaho said.

“Well… no. They tried to keep a tight leash on her, but they never quite managed it. No matter what they say though, she is a good leader. She has her people’s best interests at heart, and she’s passionate about everything she does,” Slaine defended. His green eyes narrowed with suspicion as he realized that he might have revealed too much, but Inaho refuted his worries with his next words.

“More Terrans ought to be that way. We have experienced peace for so long that we have grown lazy. Nobles leave their fiefs to their servants and spend more and more time in the castle rather than oversee their responsibilities. Even I do not spend near as much time here as I should,” Inaho admitted.

Slaine tilted his head slightly to the left as he glanced at Inaho this time, and for perhaps the first time since they met, no hostility filtered through his gaze. He almost seemed appreciative.

“Now that I have brought it up, I should probably see my servants and inspect the house. Would you mind keeping an eye on the princess while I do that?” he asked.

Slaine nodded his confirmation, and once Inaho transferred the princess’s shoes to him, he trotted off to where Asseylum found a collection of seashells near the water’s edge. They wandered closer to the rocky places where caves and tide pools replaced the sandy beaches, but Inaho assumed they could find their way back fine.

He trekked over the many hills to his country house that his parents left him. Even though the oldest son inherited the estate, he considered him and Yuki both the owners, at least until Yuki married and became baroness of a different estate. While not the grandest of manors, the home was certainly big enough for the two of them. The columns on each side of the door testified to that by themselves.

Nadine, the head servant and Inaho’s old nanny, answered the door.

“Master Inaho!” she greeted. “You naughty boy! You are supposed to be in court with the negotiations, not vacationing here.”

“I have guests,” Inaho corrected. Though another baron might chastise a servant for speaking with such familiarity, Inaho knew better when the mentioned servant raised him from the time he first breathed oxygen. He gave Nadine all the respect he gave his mother, bless her soul.

“Guests who you neglect,” Nadine scolded.

“They’re enjoying the ocean now. I only wanted to order a meal prepared, and then I shall return to them,” Inaho claimed.

“Silly boy, I did not mean those two,” Nadine said.

“Greetings, Lord Inaho. I apologize for so rudely arriving like this.”

Inaho refused to react as Sir Cruhteo stepped into view, but he did curse himself for not noticing where an extra carriage must be parked in his stables.

“Princess Asseylum may think she can go on adventures like these without telling me, but I am afraid I cannot allow her to step so far from safety,” he explained.

“I assure you that I would not allow something to happen to her,” Inaho said.

“As much as I believe you, it is the responsibility of her knights to ensure that,” Cruhteo insisted. He shifted past Nadine who seemed to shrink in the presence of the Martian and started to walk out the door. “And now I must go fulfill that responsibility.”

Watching the knight strut across his own lands, Inaho said to Nadine, “Prepare dinner please. I must return to my own responsibilities.”

Nadine nodded with worry in her eyes as Inaho left the house and followed Cruhteo back to the beach. As much as he disliked Cruhteo, that should have been the end of the conflict. They should have found Asseylum and Slaine, argued about when they would return to the castle, and then eaten dinner in Inaho’s home.

Instead, a bloody figure limped toward them.

Horror struck Inaho as all the possibilities calculated through his mind at once, and he broke into a run immediately. Unfortunately, so did Cruhteo. They met Slaine at the same time, and the poor servant wavered on his feet. Blood dripped from a blow at his left temple, and his uniform as a servant of the princess showed more rustic red than its traditional blue.

“Slaine, what happened?” Inaho asked just as Cruhteo demanded. “Where is the princess?! You little mongrel, what happened to her? I’ll have your neck for this! I will!”

Slaine allowed himself to be manhandled without protest. No light shined in his eyes, and worry completely disassociated from the blood hit Inaho. He took hold of both of Slaine’s forearms and pulled him away from Cruhteo’s insistence.

“Perhaps you should go search for the princess,” Inaho suggested coldly. “They were by the cliffs.”

Cruhteo glared fiercely at Inaho, but his loyalty to the princess won out. He darted down the hills in the direction of the rocky area of the beach, and Slaine lost all feeling in his legs. He went limp, and he would have fallen if Inaho didn’t wrap his arms around him and keep him up.

“Slaine, I understand that something traumatic must have happened, but you need to stay with me. Is the princess alive?”

Slaine stared ahead, but he did not respond.

“Slaine, I know you did not harm the princess. I know you would never do such a thing, but Cruhteo already hates you. I am trying to help you, so please help me to do that.” Inaho refused to let any inflection in his voice, but his tone still came worryingly close to begging.

“Trust,” Slaine murmured. “That gets you killed.”

Inaho’s eyes widened. “I’m going to leave you here. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t do anything. I shall return shortly.” Inaho gently set Slaine down on the grass. He did not fight the change, and he wrapped his arms around his knees, his eyes deadened.

Inaho sprinted down to the cliffs, and he saw the blood splattered across rocks. He ventured further to where the sand no longer reached, and a dead body greeted him. Cruhteo stood over it with a look terrifyingly close to sadness in his eyes.

He startled when the rocks crunched beneath Inaho’s feet, but he relaxed once he recognized the intruder. “I know this man. He’s a Martian, and he’s dead.”

Inaho filed away the fact to be observed later, but something far more important pressed in his mind. “Have you found Asseylum?” he demanded.

Cruhteo shook his head. I searched everywhere she could have gone in a short time, and there’s nothing.”

“No body?” Inaho clarified.

“Probably swept out to sea,” Cruhteo growled. “I will be returning to the castle. I will report this.”

Slaine did not trouble himself with a response. He understood Earth far more than a Martian knight ever would, and his knowledge told him that the tides did not have the time to take a body out to sea quite yet. He pushed past Cruhteo without a second glance and ventured into the part of the beach made up of stone caves.

However, even as his mind kicked into overdrive with diagrams of the dead body’s position and the blood and the sizes and capabilities of Asseylum and Slaine, he failed to grasp a very critical detail.

Cruhteo returned to the castle, and Inaho left him defenseless and alone.


	5. Halfway Gone

As a born Terran, Inaho understood things that Cruhteo never would. Concepts like seaside caverns with twists and turns that lead into dark places that hid everything. Even during midday, the light only touched the first few yards within the stone caves, and if Inaho wanted to look further, he needed more solid illumination.

He tore a piece of fabric from his tunic and wrapped it around the top part of the driest piece of driftwood he could find. He then worked one of the small glass jewels from his belt and held the glass and stick at just the right angles with the sun that the beam of light struck the glass and burned the fabric. Inaho waited several moments that made apprehension itch beneath his skin, but finally, a flame licked up to meet the sunbeam. Some quick breathing later, the entire strip of fabric lit up with fire on top of the driftwood stick.

Inaho used his new torch to guide his way into the dark cavern, and when he made enough turns so that the fire in his hand provided the only light, he called out, “Princess. Princess Asseylum. It’s me, Inaho. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I don’t know what happened, but Slaine is safe, and now you’re safe, too.”

He turned in place, and his eyes scanned the stalagmites and stalactites. Mold slicked down the stone walls, and sea water dripped down pathways created over hundreds of years of the same leaks. He heard the echoes of his own words, but no response.

“Asseylum, please. I only want to help,” he tried again. “Sir Cruhteo is here, and I’m worried he will blame Slaine for your disappearance.”

“That’s ridiculous! Slaine saved my life.”

Inaho twisted around to where he heard the outcry, and his gaze landed on a scattering of boulders. After a moment, blonde hair followed by the princess’s blushing face peaked out from behind the biggest. No blood marred her skin or clothes though wet sand coated her arms.

“What happened?” Inaho asked.

The princess bit her lip, but she made a good leader no matter how she loved the ocean and specialties of Earth. She found her resolve and said, “Slaine told me to stay hidden because he doesn’t trust you, but I do. You have never shown ill will, and you’re the only person who treats Slaine well. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Inaho did not know how to respond to her characterization, but she saved him the trouble by continuing, “Slaine and I played in the waves when a man came up from behind me. He must have hidden in the cave in wait for us, for Slaine did not notice him until he almost slew me with his sword. He has good reflexes though, and he pushed me out of the way and took the blow instead.

“His blood gushed on the sand, but he still wrestled with the assassin. He keeps a dagger in his boot for times like this, and he fought until he managed to stab the other in the gut. We took off his mask, and we recognized him as a man in the Martian army. Slaine worried that the Martians are planning to betray me, so he told me to stay hidden in the cave while he returned to the castle to find out more. We thought it would be better to let the traitors think I’m dead rather than reveal I’m alive and have them come after me again.”

“Slaine thought of that? That is a wise course of action,” Inaho muttered.

The princess nodded. “He plays the ignorant servant boy, but that’s more a defense mechanism. He’s actually quite smart. He feared that you lured us here to give the assassin a chance at me, but I don’t believe that.”

“No, I knew nothing of this plot, but I swear I will discover who did,” Inaho vowed. “For now, I think you should do as Slaine advised. Stay here, and I will send someone for you soon. You can keep this torch, but put it out if you hear someone coming.”

Inaho offered up the driftwood makeshift torch, but Asseylum wrapped her arms around him instead. He carefully kept the fire out of reach of her hair, but he did not understood the gesture until she planted a kiss on his cheek.

“I trust you. I don’t know who is behind this, but please watch over Slaine while I cannot,” she said.

Inaho nodded slowly. “On my honor.”

Once he successfully gave her the torch this time, he left the cave and passed the murder scene on the beach. The waves washed some of the blood away, but the stains that remained seemed even gorier now that he knew the story behind them. Slaine’s devotion to his princess perhaps ran deeper than he first bargained.

Inaho made a mental note to check Slaine’s sword wound when he reached the boy, but then he realized a fact that had lingered in the back of his mind until now.

Cruhteo traveled to Inaho’s estate under the pretense that he worried for Asseylum’s safety, but the timing seemed too coincidental to be clean of suspicion. Then again, Sir Cruhteo could not have planned an assassination attack on Inaho’s hands if he had not known they were going to visit the ocean. Perhaps he lied about that?

Another thing struck Inaho as he climbed the hills to place where he left Slaine. If Asseylum’s murder succeeded without Slaine’s interference, the assassin would have escaped, and Inaho would have looked like the murderer.

He owed Slaine more than he first imagined, and he would thank him when… when he found him.

Inaho reached the place where he saw the wounded boy last, but only a patch of bloody grass marked that he had been there at all. Inaho glanced around in a vain attempt to catch sight of his blond hair or blue uniform, but he only saw the ocean and his own manor. Cursing beneath his breath, Inaho sprinted to the stables, and somehow, he was not surprised at what he found.

Only one carriage. The one he in which he brought Slaine and Asseylum to his estate.

Sir Cruhteo’s carriage along with Sir Cruhteo himself was gone. Undoubtedly, with Slaine as well. Inaho clenched his fists in anger at himself. He knew that he needed to determine for sure if Asseylum was dead or not, but why did he leave Slaine with Cruhteo? He knew of their violent history!

Inaho wanted to climb into his own carriage and immediately follow in furious pursuit, but Inaho did not live his life by rash decisions, and he would not start now.

Instead, he forced himself to take a deep breath before knocking on the door to his own manor for the second time that day. Nadine answered once again, and her face flushed with concern, and flyaway hairs escaped her normally tight bun. “I just saw a carriage going-”

“Yes, that was our dinner guest. Nadine, I am afraid I have some troubling news, and I am going to trust you to do what I say with few questions and to be discreet about it.”

Inaho worried that he would be putting too much onto a woman who certainly collected her fair share of years, but he forgot that she single-handedly raised him and Yuki, and that had been no easy task. Nadine listened with all the honor and composure of a noble, and when he moved onto his requests, she only nodded smartly. Her only sign of wavering was clenching her hands in her apron, and Inaho took that to be more resolve than worry.

He thanked Nadine and tolerated her bone-crushing hug before he ordered his driver to take his own carriage out of the stables. The horses barely gained any rest at all, but it could not be helped.

While Inaho traveled back to the castle of Terran royalty, Nadine crept down to the beach. She called out to Asseylum that she was a friend of Inaho’s and that said lord left instructions for her to stay in his manor house until they sorted everything out.

As Nadine tiptoed further into the darkness of the cave, she continued to promise that she would cook and care for the princess, and that the stable boys and workhands would protect her if any bad men came back. Not that anything like that would happen since they all swore to keep her presence a secret.

Nadine started to run out of things to say, but she need not have worried. Asseylum flung herself at the old woman and administered a bone-crushing hug of her own, all the while gushing about her kindness and how sweet of her and Asseylum promised not to be a bother.

Nadine selfishly thought that she might not want this whole thing to blow over after all. She already knew she would quite like Asseylum staying with them in the manor.

As Nadine helped Princess Asseylum escape the cave and climb up the green hills to Inaho’s manor house, Inaho himself watched the fields and rivers of Earth pass by from inside his coach. He refused to worry since anxiety would do him little good when he could do nothing about it, but he could not help the little thoughts that nagged at his mind.

Would Cruhteo accuse Slaine of Asseylum’s disappearance and probable murder? Maybe pin the death of the other Martian on him as well? Though Inaho admitted to himself that Slaine did kill that man, but it was out of self-defense alone.

Inaho normally acted as the voice of reason, and he only hoped he could continue that role now.


	6. Angel with a Shotgun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Slaine finally gives some of his point of view.

Slaine did not fight when Cruhteo dragged him to the stables. He only whimpered when the lord clashed his wrists together with a strip of leather reins, and he even helped Cruhteo with his weight as he lifted him into the carriage. Cruhteo must have borrowed it from the Terran queen’s many stores, for the grand mode of transportation bore the crest of Earth.

Cruhteo cursed and ranted, and he hit Slaine when he responded too dully. This happened often, for Slaine barely responded at all.

He killed a man. He took a knife and thrust it in another man with the knowledge that it would end his life.

And he would do it again because someone tried to kill Asseylum. Someone almost took the most important thing in his life away.

And Slaine wasn’t so foolish as to believe that the man he killed and that someone were the same person.

A cloud of numbness bloomed in his mind, and his thoughts took on a hazy quality. They frayed around the edges as he thought of what almost happened and what did. The man who attacked Asseylum obviously knew she would be there, so this was not some random thug. A plot to assassinate the princess of Mars lay beneath this incident, and though Slaine did not have education nor noble blood, he understood that Asseylum was not safe yet.

How many people knew he and Asseylum would visit Inaho’s manor on this day? Even they did not know until the sun blessed the sky with warmth. Slaine cut his eyes to where Cruhteo readied the horses to leave. Could he even trust the Martian knights? Now that he thought back to it, the assassin had been a Martian…

How coincidental that Cruhteo arrived just a few seconds too late. Or would have been too late, if Slaine had not intervened.

The fog in his mind dispersed, and a low thrum started in his blood. He almost did not recognize the emotion, but as he thought of Asseylum and the monsters who planned her death, the feeling intensified until he would have been stupid not to realize.

Anger.

Fury rose in him like a poison, and even though Cruhteo’s foresight tied his hands behind his back, Slaine forgot to consider such a hindrance.

“Did you do this?” Slaine hissed almost too low to hear. “Did you order her killed? Did you think eliminating her and her beliefs would give you the opportunity to attack Earth and exploit its riches without worrying of treaties?”

Cruhteo narrowed his eyes into slits. “How dare you. How dare a mongrel like you do this and then try to twist things so that you are the victim, the hero?”

Slaine spent years as a slave for these Martians. When they abused him and treated him like an animal, he bit his tongue and performed his proper tasks. He set aside what little pride he still possessed because self-preservation mattered more. He almost thought he lost the ability to feel anger, but he realized now that he was wrong.

He never forgot those moments when a man three times his size would trip him and laugh as he dropped trays of silverware or when another man of superior rank would strike him for asking a question or acting too slowly. He simply stored away his fury for a later time, and now years’ worth of bitter feelings and stifled rash actions bubbled up.

Just as Cruhteo lifted himself in the carriage and reached for the reins, Slaine roared and threw himself into the knight. He thought that his pure rage would be enough, but anger also clouded the mind.

Cruhteo recovered quickly and knocked him unconscious with his cane.

When Slaine woke up, his head pounded, and he no longer found himself in the carriage. He blinked a few more times to make sure, but the image before his eyes never wavered. Iron bars took up his entire line of vision, and when he turned his head, the pain intensifying as he did, he only saw the stone walls of his cell. He dared a glance up, and he caught sight of the chains that bound his wrists to a bar on the ceiling.

That explained the ache in his shoulders, suddenly so painful that Slaine could barely stand it. He shifted, and the jangle of more chains alerted him to his situation below. Cuffs bound his ankles, but since the chains clasped around his arms held him so high, he could only touch the ground with the tips of his toes. He alternated between straining his arms and his legs, but the whole effort resulted only in more pain and exhaustion.

The clanking of his chains must have alerted someone, for he soon heard footsteps, and Slaine froze. He spent so much time trying to understand his predicament that he had yet to go the next step from what to why or even how.

At least he found the answer to his third question when Sir Cruhteo appeared behind the bars and jostled a key in the lock.

Slaine did not dare ask questions as the Martian knight entered his cell. Two servants followed with a push cart filled with instruments that sent shivers down Slaine’s spine.

“S-sir…” Slaine stammered. He barely remembered the fury he felt before slipping into his nonnegotiable sleep, and confusion and fear replaced the previous passionate emotion.

“Is Asseylum alive?” Cruhteo demanded. Slaine never knew him to be a warm person, but now his voice could have frozen rain. He pulled on a pair of rough leather gloves, and he reached for his whip.

Only now did Slaine realize that he wore no shirt, and he swallowed thickly. Nevertheless, other thoughts from Slaine’s previous actions filtered through, and he remembered why he attacked the knight in the first place. Cruhteo wanted assurance that the princess was dead, but was that desperate hope or a killer looking for confirmation?

“Where does your loyalty lie?” Slaine choked out. He noticed the servants lingering in the cell doorway, torn between sick curiosity and morbid fear.

Cruhteo flicked his wrist, and his whip unfurled with a sharp crack. “I have always given my loyalty to Mars, you Terran scum. You filled her head with dreams of this cursed land. Did you plan from the very beginning to lure her here to kill her?”

Slaine opened his mouth to protest, but a scream ripped from his throat instead. He looked down to see a red stripe mar his skin as pain seared his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes as Cruhteo reared back again and struck down with his whip.

The cries of pain rose up without Slaine’s consent as the whip lashed across his chest again and again. The fog returned to his mind until he could not form a coherent thought, and the buzz felt more like acid than simple opaqueness.

When Cruhteo finally hesitated, Slaine panted heavily as painful shakes hitched his body. Sweat coated his skin and slid down into his fresh wounds, and the salt made the raw pain like lightning in his nerves.

“If you killed her, at least find the dignity to show us her body, so we may give her a proper burial,” Cruhteo hissed.

“There was… a Martian… on the beach,” Slaine sputtered. His voice came out faint and guttural. “Why would I…?”

Cruhteo’s eyes narrowed fiercely. “I don’t know why he was there, but I would not put it past a Terran to lure an innocent here to act as your scapegoat,” he spat. He replaced his whip with a knife from the push cart and approached Slaine’s trembling body.

The knight slipped the wickedly sharp blade between Slaine’s thin lips. Though his entire body shook, Slaine concentrated on staying still or risk cutting his mouth on the knife.

“Now you will reveal the extent of your plan, or I shall cut out your tongue and let the blood gurgle out of your mouth until you slowly grow too weak to even hold yourself up,” Cruhteo breathed against Slaine’s cheek.

“Step away from that boy, or I shall be forced to report you to a higher authority.”

Cruhteo jerked around so quickly that the knife cut Slaine’s lip as he removed the blade from his mouth. The tangy taste of blood lingered on his tongue, but he barely noticed when his eyes fell on the owner of that emotionless voice. Slaine and Cruhteo both stared in shock at the image of the refined and educated Lord Inaho in the dirty dungeons beneath the Terran castle.

“This boy is under Martian care, and I am the highest authority from Mars here,” Cruhteo countered coldly. He returned the knife to the cart and removed his gloves, but he made no move to release Slaine.

“Both Slaine and Asseylum are under Earth jurisdiction,” Inaho returned. “Therefore, I am a higher authority, and I will not hesitate to go to one even higher. Now I demand that you unlock his chains. If you do so immediately, I will not charge you with undue torture.”

Cruhteo never lost his noble posture, but he did shift uncomfortably on his feet. “I received permission to use this jail cell under emergency unusual circumstances,” Cruhteo persisted.

“Yes, and I am sure whomever you asked had no idea what you intended. These servants shall return your supplies to your proper places. I will take the boy under my care,” Inaho said.

“Why are you so keen to protect him? Are you a part of the plot that killed the princess?” Cruhteo sneered.

Slaine expected Inaho to react in some way at least, but the young baron never revealed any crack in his composure. Slaine grasped at the events that led to his unconsciousness, and he thought that Inaho returned to the beach, but did he find Asseylum? Would Inaho think that Slaine murdered Asseylum as well?

“Though I have no doubt that there was a plot to kill the princess, I must conclude that Slaine was not a part of it,” Inaho insisted.

“Surely, even your backward governmental system will not let a suspect go on mere intuition of a questionably young noble,” Cruhteo jabbed.

“Naturally not,” Inaho sniffed. “Which is why I will go to our dear queen about a trial to be held in two days. That gives our prime witness time to recover from your administrations, and we shall all discover the truth behind Asseylum’s disappearance.”

“Then do you think she is alive?” Cruhteo questioned hastily. He never lost his composure when he beat Slaine until his chest resembled carved meat, but now his hair rustled from its place, and his eyes widened wildly. Slaine thought that an odd question if he was a part of the plot.

Inaho’s lips almost twitched. “I suppose we will find out in two days. The keys please.”

Slaine barely comprehended what happened around him as Sir Cruhteo gave the keys to Inaho. The lord unlocked the shackles around his wrists and ankles, and Slaine fell in a heap on the floor. Slaine flinched away when Inaho reached for him, and he backed away respectfully.

When Slaine glanced up, Cruhteo and the servants disappeared. Only he and Inaho remained, and even though Inaho presumably just saved him, his stomach turned nervously.

“I’ll take you to my quarters to patch you up. We have some things to sort out as we do so,” Inaho said.

Suddenly, Slaine wondered if he did not stand a better chance with Cruhteo.


	7. In Too Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a cliche scene and the beginning of the end of the rising action.

Inaho considered his impeccable ability to keep a straight face no matter what the situation a great advantage, but he struggled with it now. He only allowed himself a stern tone when he walked in on Cruhteo’s cruelty while he wanted to show violence, to spill blood.

Even now, when Cruhteo abandoned the scene of his crime, Inaho felt the rage bubbling in his blood. He took special care to help Slaine without showing a shred of his ill feelings because the poor servant at least deserved that. He already hesitated to accept Inaho’s touch, but he had little choice when he tried to walk and nearly cut his head open on the hard ground.

He at least let Inaho wrap an arm around his waist, and Slaine braced himself on Inaho’s shoulder. The proximity felt tense and awkward for both of them, but they managed to arrive at Inaho’s quarters with minimum injuries and suspicious stares.

When Inaho tried to lift Slaine up to his bed, the servant’s movements stuttered, and he stared at Inaho with wide, fearful eyes.

“You won’t get in trouble. The bed is simply the easiest place from which to treat your wounds,” Inaho said.

Slaine still hesitated, but Inaho took advantage of his moment of weakness to push him on the bed and arrange his limbs in typical sick patient formation. Slaine’s mouth twisted into a grimace, but he understood his place better than ever. He remained quiet even as he winced at the amount of blood staining the bedspread.

Inaho fetched a bucket of water likely meant for his bath and a rag. He pulled a stool up to the bed and went to work washing the wounds.

While Inaho had little experience with these sorts of things save for books and training, he made sure to rid the affected area of all blood. He touched gently around the wounds themselves and only dabbed at particularly sensitive places. Whenever Slaine hissed an intake of air, Inaho apologized, and Slaine stared at him as if he questioned his very humanity.

“Can you sit up? I need to wrap your torso,” Inaho requested.

Slaine needed Inaho’s help, but he managed to swing his legs over the bed and allow Inaho full access to his chest and back. As Inaho wrapped the white bandage around his torso, he stood close enough that Inaho could feel Slaine’s discomfort like a tangible thing.

“Why are you doing this?” Slaine whispered.

Inaho paused in his wrapping at the question, but he continued before he finally answered, “It is against Terran law to harm a prisoner before convincing evidence of his guiltiness. This never should have happened to you.”

“So you don’t think I killed her?” For perhaps, the first time since Inaho found Slaine, the smallest spark of hope shone in his eyes.

“I know she’s not dead. I found her in the cave, and she is currently safe in my manor with my servants,” Inaho informed him.

Unsurprisingly, Slaine tensed, and his eyes darted to the bedside table where a candlestick would have made a very good weapon. However, Inaho anticipated this reaction, and he tied Slaine’s bandage with a particularly tight pull, and Slaine yelped instead.

“If I wanted to harm Asseylum, I could have killed her in that cave and left you to Cruhteo’s care. You would have been tortured and then sentenced with her murderer, and I could have walked away with a clean reputation. Do you really think I am your enemy?”

The long moments that passed before Slaine answered might have hurt Inaho if he did not know just how Slaine was treated in the past. As things were, he waited patiently until Slaine slowly shook his head.

“Good,” Inaho said curtly. “Now that we are on even footing, we have more important things to discuss. I bought you two days, but the case will be brought to court. Naturally, if Asseylum shows she is alive and testifies that you killed the man out of self-defense, all will be well. Why did you not do that at the start?”

Slaine wriggled on the bed as he stared at anything but Inaho. “I am afraid that the assassins will continue to target her. I will not reveal that she is alive until I know for certain that she is safe.”

“She is safe now. In my manor,” Inaho said.

“She was first targeted on your land,” Slaine persisted. He met Inaho’s eyes with that peculiar sense of fiery loyalty that only he could master.

Inaho sighed. “If we discover who truly made an attempt on Asseylum’s life, will you agree to the first plan?”

Slaine mulled over the suggestion before he finally muttered, “Yes.”

Inaho started to wonder if this whole ordeal was worth it, but justice needed to be served. If a dark plot raged in the veins of Earth, he needed to uncover it even if the fate of this servant did not hinge on the outcome.

“You stay here for the time being. I have to go check on a few things.”

Slaine looked uncomfortable at being left alone in a lord’s quarters, but Inaho had bigger things than the boy’s peace of mind to worry about at the moment.

His life for one thing.

…

Inaho thought back to every decision that led to his position. He currently walked down the halls that he haunted since he was a child, but they looked far different when he knew a conspirator lingered in their midst. And he knew the would-be assassin must be in the castle.

Even if a Martian lay dead at the scene of the crime, only a select few in the Terran castle knew that he planned to take Slaine and Asseylum to the beach, and even fewer knew that he would take them on that day. The queen was one, but Inaho ruled her out after quick consideration. She wanted peace as much as Asseylum, and that could not be accomplished with the princess’s murder.

So that left the question of who knew they traveled to the ocean…

And who would want war between Earth and Mars.

As Inaho considered the matter further, he mentally added one more bullet to the list of traits. And who had access to the Martians, for he could not forget the Martian attire on the man who did the dirty work. So at least two people and possibly more, one a Terran and the other or others Martian, wanted a war between the two kingdoms, and they knew killing Asseylum would provide it.

Inaho did not know enough to work off the last two stipulations, but he could at least investigate the first. He visited the stables where he talked to the boys who loaded the coaches. He learned that Cruhteo stormed out to the stables soon after he left with the princess and Slaine, for apparently the two of them had not actually revealed their plans to the knight for fear of not receiving permission. Inaho supposed Cruhteo woke to find them gone and demanded that the queen reveal their whereabouts and transportation to get there.

That ruled Cruhteo out as a suspect, and the discussion itself cast no suspicion on the stable boys.

Inaho moved on to the kitchen help who prepared snacks for the trip, but they proved transparent to Inaho as well. He considered himself a good judge of character, and he doubted that the mastermind lurked in the pantry.

That left him with the last person who knew of their vacation and also the last person whom with Inaho wanted to speak.

Lady Orlane.

She offered up her coach to let Inaho take Slaine and Asseylum, but besides that one act of kindness, Inaho never liked her. She inherited her parents’ manor and lands only because his father had no other heirs. She ran away at fourteen, and she did not appear again until she was twenty-one years old. The whole ordeal caused quite the scandal in the castle, but when she returned, her parents had little choice but to accept her in the family once again. Her father and mother died of illness soon after.

Inaho did not care about teenage rebellion, and he held no qualms against going against the usual pathway. Nevertheless, he regarded Orlane with distaste because she treated everyone around her like dirt. Not only that, but Inaho had the distinct impression that Orlane only returned because she ran out of money.

Perhaps Inaho should have talked to her first.

When Inaho knocked on the door to Lady Orlane’s chambers, a nervous-looking maid answered the door. “My lady, there is a visitor,” she called with a voice as thin as parchment.

“Turn them away. I will not see anyone today,” a voice snapped.

Inaho slipped a coin in the maid’s hand before pushing past her. Orlane’s chambers bore little difference from Inaho’s, but she did add a few personal touches that Inaho never bothered with. A crystal chandelier, gold-trimmed pillows, a vanity filled with various powders. Lady Orlane herself currently stared in her mirror and brushed her long dark hair.

“My lady, I apologize for disregarding your request to remain alone, but I must speak with you,” Inaho greeted.

Lady Orlane jerked around on her stool, and her thick eyebrows drew up in suspicion. “Lord Inaho,” she said. “I did not judge you to be one to barge in on a lady.”

“I am afraid some things are more important than polite manners. I assume you have heard of Princess Asseylum?”

“Such gossip travels fast. I am very sorry to hear of such a tragedy,” Orlane replied with a careful balance of remorse and shock.

Inaho studied her reactions carefully, but the older lady kept herself very refined and steady. “Yes,” Inaho agreed. “Sir Cruhteo plans to formally accuse the serving boy, Slaine, as her murderer. Do you agree with such a response?”

“I do not understand why you are asking me this, Inaho. You never seemed to like me much,” Orlane replied.

Inaho mentally catalogued such a challenge. Rather than answer the question, she went on the offense… which is sometimes the best defense. “I do not bother with simple grudges,” Inaho refuted.

“I see… I suppose evidence does point toward the serving boy,” Lady Orlane mused.

“Maybe from the outside. However, Slaine has plenty of evidence that he had nothing to do with the murder. In fact, the court will have no choice to see that the blame lies elsewhere. Then the queen will launch a full investigation,” Inaho predicted.

This was, of course, both true and untrue. Slaine’s testimony combined with Asseylum’s revelation of actually being alive would be enough to prove his innocence, but as long as he refused to give up that trump card, he remained in danger. Nevertheless, Orlane could not know this, and Inaho was not above scaring his prey.

“Is that so?” Lady Orlane replied. “I only hope the matter is resolved. Now if you don’t mind, I must continue preparing myself for tonight’s dinner.”

“Yes, of course. My apologies,” Inaho said.

As he trailed back down the hallways that looked even more different than before, he mentally filled in the slots and adjusted his playing pieces, and a proper case slowly formed in his mind.


	8. Kill Your Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which life is never easy for Slaine and Inaho is affected.

“Are you okay?”

Inaho’s hand froze in the air, and the white bandage he held drooped between him and Slaine. He changed the servant boy’s dressing at least twice a day, and normally Slaine kept tense and quiet during his administrations. Inaho peered at the boy’s expression with surprise.

Slaine blatantly stared at the wall, his cheeks coloring with the embarrassment he refused to express, and clarified, “I just… you seem quiet today. More so than usual. I understand why, but I thought maybe you were hiding something from me.”

When Inaho took too long to reply, Slaine finally met his eyes in an open request for honesty. Inaho returned to wrapping the clean gauze around the servant’s shredded torso. “The Martian knights arrived last night. They will be attending the trial today,” he admitted.

Inaho doubted Slaine’s sharp intake of breath was due to the pain in his wounds. “Don’t worry. They are here because this business concerns them,” Inaho assured him.

“They are here to execute the murderer as soon as he is convicted,” Slaine corrected.

If Inaho had not made a private vow to never physically abuse the boy sitting on his bed, he might have hit him. The aura of despair did not suit his light green eyes. Even as he wore some of Inaho’s simpler noble clothing, he never shook that look of a servant. Inaho thought it was likely something beat into him rather than an air he adapted voluntarily.

“The trial is at two o’clock. Do not be late,” Inaho ordered. He finished up the bandaging and rose to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Slaine asked too quickly. Inaho did not miss the panic that made the boy clench his fists in the bed sheets. During the past two days Slaine had not once ventured outside of Inaho’s chambers. Instead, they adapted a routine that mostly consisted of respectable silence and Inaho sleeping on his own couch.

“I like to get a feel of the room before I public speak, so I am going early. I do not think it would be wise for you to do the same since the Martian knights may not feel entirely benevolent toward you at the moment. Stay here until it’s time, but don’t be late,” Inaho repeated.

Slaine nodded slowly, but Inaho saw that he feared arriving at the court room alone. Alas, Inaho could not help it. He needed this time to scope out the feelings of the people he would testify against, and he used every spare moment to review and reorganize the argument in his mind.

Inaho closed the door to his bedchambers and turned toward the courtroom.

…

Slaine waited. He pulled on another tunic that Inaho let him borrow, and he waited. He made Inaho’s bed despite the servants that would visit the room later, and he picked at the plate of fruit Inaho left him for breakfast. To no avail. The natural sugar made him sick, so he soon gave up on that pursuit. Instead, he waited.

And waited.

Just as he had done for the past two days.

Slaine thought he might go mad if he stayed in this room much longer though not in the way he felt in Mars. There, he feared stepping out of line or going anywhere the knights might not like. Slaine understood now that Inaho meant him no harm. Actually, he even trusted the strange lord. If anyone could help him and Asseylum, it would be Inaho.

The anxiety crept up his skin again as he thought of his princess. Even if he had no way of knowing for sure, he believed that she waited in Inaho’s manner. He wondered if she twitched with directionless energy as well, and he hoped she stayed safe and sound.

As a servant, he could do little with his meager life, but protecting Asseylum was enough. Even simply luring her assassins into a false sense of security with her death and his execution would make a fine legacy. A silent legacy but a fine one nonetheless.

Finally, the candle melted down to the two hour mark, and Slaine slipped out of the room. Agoraphobia hit him with unexpected force, but he pushed himself to walk down the halls with the stride of warrior. He did this for Asseylum.

To distract himself from his destination, he wondered why the halls were so empty. Normally servants bustled from door to door with laundry and meals and instructions to do every whim of the nobles. Then Slaine answered his own question as he realized that everyone would want to witness the trial for the murder of the Martian princess. His head hung low with depression.

So he did not see who hit him on the back of the head.

Only a rush of carpet as he fell to the ground.

…

If Inaho had not trained himself long ago to never show his emotions, he might have bit his lip or tugged at his clothing. Instead, anxiety only registered as a blip on his mental radar.

“Lord Inaho, where is the accused?” Queen Darzana demanded.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I consider Slaine Troyard a witness, not a suspect,” Inaho corrected.

The Terran queen favored the young lord, but that did not mean she accepted all his actions with good graces. Her eyebrow twitched with irritation which seemed a far more dangerous expression when sat atop a throne. “As things are, how I consider the situation is what counts,” Darzana reminded him.

Inaho bowed to acknowledge her point, but his focus remained on the door where Slaine did not appear.

Whispers of suspicion swept through the crowd. Every single noble and almost every servant gathered on either side of the red walkway, and the Martian knights took up a special area just below the queen. Sir Cruhteo, the accuser and a witness, stood on the opposite side of the room as Inaho. They both stood at attention before the queen, prepared to accuse and defend until the end.

The set-up only missed a single character: the murderer, the suspect, the accused, the servant, the traitor, the hero.

Depending on who you asked.

“Are you stalling us to allow Slaine to escape?”

A series of gasps ripped through the crowd, and Inaho turned sharply to Sir Cruhteo. He predicted someone might pull such an accusation if Slaine did not hurry, but he did not think Cruhteo himself would pull the card. Surely, he knew Slaine well enough to know the servant boy would never resort to such a thing. Then again, perhaps his racism blinded him.

“Of course not,” Inaho said. “He will be here at any moment. He does have injuries that hinder him.”

Sir Cruhteo took the last words as the threat Inaho meant them to be, and the knight sneered in response.

“Injuries or not, if Slaine does not appear before the court within the next half hour, I will have no choice but to arrest him for disobedience,” Queen Darzana warned.

Inaho never showed his emotions, but an observant person would notice the slightest bit of anxiety in his voice. “Yes, Your Highness.”

…

When Slaine blinked open his eyes, he became immediately aware of the cold blade against his throat. His cry for help died before it reached his mouth, for he feared the slightest twitch of even his vocal cords would push the dagger into his tender flesh.

“I should have hit you harder. I thought you would remain unconscious while I finished.”

The voice pulled Slaine’s gaze up, and he stared into the cold eyes of a woman with long dark hair. Even crouched above his body with a knife in her hand, she bore the obvious signs of a noble: expensive dress and an arrogant sneer. Slaine tried to back away, but his back hit a wall, and when he darted his eyes back and forth, he realized he sat in one of the servants’ passageways. No one would find him here until this lady finished with him.

“Then again, you seem frozen in fear. I suppose this can continue as planned,” she decided.

Slaine caught the flash of light as the knife in her hand moved, and he blurted out, “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

He did not expect the woman to pause in her murderous intentions, but she even took the time to grin and breathe a chuckle. “Now darling, don’t you have more important things to be worrying about?” she taunted. “The afterlife awaits.”

Slaine flinched and shut his eyes. He never hesitated to be brave for Asseyum, but no one said he had to watch death come to him.

“Orlane!”

Both the woman and Slaine startled at the sharp voice. Slaine tentatively opened his eyes to see a man in a familiar uniform grab her arms and pull her back. Though the boy knew he should take the mysterious opportunity to run, he watched in horror as Sir Saazbaum shook the noble angrily.

“What are you doing? Don’t you realize how suspicious you are by not attending the trial? I came to fetch you as soon as I realized!” Saazbaum ranted.

“This boy has evidence about the murder,” Orlane snapped. “If I kill him now, they will never know.”

“If he is found to be dead, the court will know the murderer is still at large,” Saazbaum roared.

“I am not an idiot! I was going to leave a note. Make it look like a suicide.”

An icy feeling trickled down Slaine’s neck, and he slowly stood up. He thought he could sneak down the other end of the passageway, but Orlane noticed his movement and grabbed his arm. She pointed the knife at his chest. “Don’t you see? We can ensure our future in these next few seconds,” she hissed.

Slaine prepared himself to die once again, but Sir Saazbaum ripped the knife from Orlane’s grip. “We will do nothing that endangers Slaine’s life,” he ordered. “His father saved my life, and I will not return the favor with treachery.”

“How can you think of a dead man when our future hinges on the present?” Lady Orlane screeched. She lunged for the knife, but Sir Saazbaum carefully kept the blade from her reach. While she focused on her struggled with the knight, Slaine slipped from her hold and backed away.

He felt time slipping away like wind blowing through him. Inaho made a point that he needed to be punctual, yet Slaine had no idea how long he had been unconscious or how many minutes he let slip by in this show of violence. What would happen if he never made it to the trial? Slaine never was good at predicting the actions of nobles, but he doubted they would react kindly to his tardiness.

“Slaine, wait,” Saazbaum called. Slaine froze, but neither the knight nor the lady made to grab him again. This was mostly due to the strong hold Saazbaum had on Orlane’s wrist, and Slaine knew he should run now as fast as he could, but something about the earnestness in the knight’s face made him hesitate.

“Slaine, don’t react rashly. Asseylum is dead, and you have nowhere to go. I can offer you a far greater future than anything Mars or Earth alone could give you. If you trust me, I will make you rich. I will raise you above those who used to mock you and abuse you.”

Slaine heard the thrumming of his own heart in his ears. While Saazbaum kept one hand on the lady, he reached the other out to him.

“Think through this, Slaine. I can change your life.”

…

Inaho knew what Queen Darzana would say even before she opened her mouth. He heard the whispers grow into rumors and accusations, and he felt Sir Cruhteo’s restlessness radiate into anger. Slaine failed to make his appearance, and though Inaho could not imagine why, he understood the fatal results.

Queen Darzana cleared her throat. “The half hour has passed. I have no choice but to declare Slaine Troyard the main suspect for Princess Asseylum’s murder, and I order all proper authorities to arrest him on sight.”

Inaho opened his mouth to protest, but another voice beat him to it.

“Stop! This plot is far greater than a simple assassination!”


	9. Where Do Broken Hearts Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we reach the end.

“Stop! This plot is far greater than a simple assassination!”

The speaker fled up the center aisle, and her simple peasant’s dress swished around her feet. Her blond hair, normally in an intricate twist, now flew in a long braid behind her. Her appearance spoke of a serving girl, and Inaho guessed Nadine caused that when the princess needed a bath and a changing clothes. Nevertheless, even when she addressed the queen of Earth, the Terran nobles, and the Martian knights in a threadbare coat, no one mistook her for anything but a descendant of royal blood.

“I am alive,” Princess Asseylum declared. “I am safe and sound, and neither Inaho nor my servant ever threatened my life.”

Gasps and shouts of disbelief rose in a cacophony of sounds. Only Inaho regarded the princess with no surprise whatsoever, for the rest of the courtroom barely contained themselves in their excitement. Taking the opportunity, Inaho scanned the crowd for any signs of disappointment, but Terrans and Martians alike rejoiced. Sir Cruhteo himself wiped a few joyful tears away.

Then Inaho noticed that a certain Terran noble neither rejoiced nor sulked. She was not present at all.

Queen Darzana rose to her feet, and she stepped down from her platform. She crossed the few steps between them and held out her hand to the princess in front of the expansive crowd. Asseylum accepted her gesture, and their clasped fingers symbolized far more than a simple reunion.

“I cannot tell you how pleased I am to know that you are alive. You must have gone through an unbelievable ordeal, and while I regret asking this of you so soon, what did you mean by a plot greater than an assassination?” Darzana asked.

Though Inaho felt growing apprehension at Lady Orlane’s absence, he forced himself to pay attention to the princess. She never mentioned a bigger plan before, and Inaho specifically asked her to stay hidden until further notice. Something must have happened to make her appear before the court prematurely.

Silence swept over the large room despite the magnitude inside. Asseylum cleared her throat and addressed everyone in the way only royalty could.

“A man in a Martian uniform attacked my servant and me when we were alone. Slaine protected me and killed the man, and while he bravely promised to face the public, he asked that I stay hidden in case my assassins tried again. Inaho discovered me, and he agreed to go along with this course of action, but he offered his home and his staff to me in my time of need.

“During that time I grew very close to Inaho’s servant, Nadine. She is a kind lady, and she is very smart. She paid attention when she and other servants from different manors visited the same market. In this way she learned two curious details. One, Lady Orlane’s family money ran out, and two, when Orlane disappeared as a teenager, she stayed with Sir Saazbaum in Mars.”

A cry of outrage from both the nobles and knights lurched at the princess’s words, and Inaho felt more and more pieces slide into the correct slot in his mind.

“Silence!” Queen Darzana ordered, and the courtroom obeyed. “I understand this is not easy for any of us. Such disgrace reflects on all of us, but we must persevere to find the truth. Continue, Princess.”

Asseylum nodded. “Anyone can look at a map and see Lady Orlane’s lands border the Martian west line. This puts her in a prime position to sneak away to meet Sir Saazbaum… and to provide a trafficking service to benefit Mars if a war broke out between the two kingdoms.”

Unlike before, this statement forced the entire room into a heavy silence. No one spoke of war lightly, and such an act of betrayal to one’s country far surpassed even murder.

“That is a heavy accusation, my lady,” Sir Cruhteo warned.

“Do you see Sir Saazbaum here?” Inaho said. “Or Lady Orlane? Or Slaine? Only Princess Asseylum’s story makes sense. Sir Saazbaum ordered one of his Martian servants to murder Asseylum after Lady Orlane informed him that they would be on my lands. Slaine put them at ease by continuing the farce that she actually died, but now they must have done something to him to keep him from revealing information to reveal otherwise.”

Inaho stepped forward and spoke directly to the knight. “Tell me, Sir Cruhteo. If Queen Darzana declared Slaine the murderer, would you not have declared war on Earth because he is a Terran and she died on Terran land?”

The knight glared at the young lord, and the strength of their gazes radiated from them. At last, Cruhteo admitted through gritted teeth, “I would have. I would have declared war immediately.”

He seemed to expect Inaho to hit him, but instead, the lord continued in his explanation, “And Earth would have declared war in return. Our kingdoms would have fought hard, but if Lady Orlane trafficked weaponry and supplies to Mars in exchange for the money she no longer has, Mars would win. I’m sure Sir Saazbaum would have taken her for a wife at that point.”

Princess Asseylum nodded, and she shot a grateful look toward Inaho. He shook his head. He did not deserve her gratitude until he saw Orlane and Saazbaum imprisoned and Slaine safe.

“The knights of Mars will not stand for this sort of treason from one of our own. We will deal with him promptly,” Sir Cruhteo vowed. He rose his fist to the air, and every knight mimicked the gesture.

Queen Darzana cast her steely gaze from Cruhteo to Asseylum to finally Inaho. She tapped her finger on her dress as she mulled over her next move, but when she spoke, there was no hesitation in her voice. “I see now the plot that formed under my own watch, and though I mourn arresting one of my own, I have no choice. I charge Lady Orlane with treason and murder, and I order her immediate arrest. The Terran, Slaine Troyard, is innocent.”

The Terran knights and Martian knights alike dispersed from the courtroom in an immediate act of obedience. Their respective leader collaborated and agreed on a plan of action to find the two criminals and the missing boy, and they soon split in many directions throughout the castle.

The nobles mulled in the room as they gossiped to one another about the recent turn of events and the odds of the servant boy still being alive.

Inaho almost startled when a strong hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. “Where did you last see Slaine?” Asseylum demanded. Her green eyes bore into him with a fierce determination Inaho thought only Slaine commanded.

“My chambers. I requested that he come to the trial by two, but he never showed. I am almost certain Lady Orlane or Sir Saazbaum or both intercepted him,” Inaho relayed.

Asseylum nodded, and she lowered her hand to slip into Inaho’s. She tugged him toward the door. “I took far too long, and I regret that. I should have left even before I had all the facts, but I wanted to be sure before I accused anyone. Now I only hope my weakness does not cost him.”

Inaho understood her intentions, and instead of following her, he matched her pace, their hands still linked. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “We will find him.”

…

Slaine stared at Sir Saazbaum and Lady Orlaine, and for one fraction of a second, he considered their offer. Really considered it.

Power. Wealth. Prosperity. Such concepts seemed so foreign to him, for never once did he imagine he could claim them as his own. The Martian engrained in him a long time ago that he was below dirt in status, and that would never change. Imagine Cruhteo’s face if Slaine suddenly became higher than him.

Then that millisecond ended, for Slaine understood nobility far better than these so-called nobles did.

“I don’t need you to change my life,” Slaine said.

Lady Orlane hissed, “Kill him. Kill him right now, and we can still salvage our life together. Don’t you still want that, Saazbaum? A comfortable life for just the two of us?”

The knight’s lips twisted into a grimace. “Of course,” he growled out. “But there are a few things I am not willing to sacrifice to gain it. The princess is dead, so Mars will declare war no matter what. Trust me, I know Cruhteo.”

“You choose stupid details to be noble about,” Orlane spat.

“So be it,” Saazbaum said. “Slaine, this is the only chance I’m giving you. Run wherever you think you will be safe, but consider yourself warned about the next time we will meet.”

Slaine rose to his full height, and even if he still fell shorter than the other two, the burning in his eyes more than made up for it. “You miscalculated, sir knight. We will not meet a next time, for I can never let the people who tried to kill Asseylum escape.”

“Tried?” Orlane screeched.

Slaine allowed himself a wicked grin. “Tried,” he confirmed.

Her battle cry was his only warning before his head met stone with a crack as the lady balled her fist in his shirt and slammed him against the wall. She possessed far too much muscle for a simple lady of court, and even with the knife in Saazbaum’s hand, she did plenty of damage. Her hands shifted from his shirt to his neck. Her thumbs dug into his vocal cords, and he panted for air that he could not reach.

Distantly, he heard Sir Saazbaum’s protests, and then other voices joined the fray. The world took on a watery quality, and he stopped paying attention to anything but the spots blooming in his eyes, and the loss of feeling in his body.

Then he hit the ground, and oxygen filled his lungs once again. Slowly, slowly, the world focused, and sound rushed back in like a wave.

“-need help!”

“-supposed to be alive!”

“-villain!”

“-under arrest!”

Slaine shifted, so his head and back leaned against the wall, and he breathed. He let the air flow in and out of his lungs with focused concentration. The sound did not concern him, and he only opened his eyes when the noises faded into almost nothing.

He was uniforms of both Terran and Martian knights, and he thought he must have hit his head quite hard. Surely, the two factions would never work together unless… Then Slaine noticed that he no longer shared this servant’s passageway with Sir Saazbaum and Lady Orlane. In fact two entirely different faces joined at each side of him.

“Asseylum!” he exclaimed. The princess wrapped her arms around him, and he squeezed her harder than he would have dared in the past.

“Oh, Slaine,” she whispered in his ear. “Slaine, Slaine, Slaine. Why do you do these things for me?”

“I would do anything for you,” he murmured back.

“I know. Oh, I know.” She pulled back, and Slaine saw tears in her eyes. He never wanted to make her worry, but he never thought she would cry over someone like him.

“Your name is cleared, and everyone knows Asseylum is alive. The knights arrested both Orlane and Saazbaum, so both you and Asseylum are safe,” Inaho informed him.

Slaine stared up at the young lord. In all honesty they had not known each other for very long, and Slaine stayed wary of him for a long time. But then he took Asseylum to see the ocean, and he offered his home to her when she needed a safe place. He saved Slaine from torture, dressed his wounds, and prepared a defense for his case.

And for what? A Terran servant from the Martian kingdom? Where did he even belong anymore?

“Thank you, Inaho,” Slaine said.

“You didn’t use the title,” Inaho noticed.

Fear spike Slaine’s heart as he realized he might have miscalculated. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what-”

“I like it,” Inaho interrupted.

Slaine relaxed, and a small smile even lit up his features.

Asseylum, on the other hand, beamed. “I think I shall like staying in Earth. Though I must request that we visit the ocean again, Inaho. I did not explore everything nearly as much as I wanted to.”

“Yes, I apologize for that little interruption,” Inaho said. His brown eyes met Slaine’s green ones as he assured them both, “We will go on the next warm day.”


End file.
